MISSISSAUGA, ON – The Albany FireWolves (0-1) will travel to play the Toronto Rock (0-1) tonight Saturday, December 7 at 7 PM at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, ON in their second game of the season. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+, and locally on MY4.
The FireWolves will look to get their first win of the 2024-2025 National Lacrosse League (NLL) season against a Rock team that lost their first game to the Ottawa Black Bears last weekend. Last season, the Rock defeated the FireWolves 10-7 in their only matchup. With both teams eager to get in the win column, fans should expect an intense Saturday night tilt.
What’s Next Mentality
The FireWolves’ first game was a heart breaker in overtime, but now the team must look forward and play with the “What’s next?” mentality that Head Coach Glenn Clark preaches. There are a lot of positives to build off from that first game like the solid play of the defense, Alex Simmons continuing to produce goals in big moments, transition scoring, and the team’s tenacity on loose balls. Albany now has playoff experience from last season to add to their already battle tested group with leaders like captain Colton Watkinson, Ethan Walker, and Doug Jamieson who will help the team succeed one game at a time.
The Little Things
Against the Rush, the FireWolves seemed to control the pace of the game and have plenty of opportunities to pull away, but it was the little things like unforced turnovers, penalties, and missed chances that allowed Saskatchewan to keep it close and ultimately win in overtime. With the first game jitters out of the way, look for Albany to play with more focus and attention to detail so they can eliminate those mistakes. Both offensively and defensively, the FireWolves still did a lot of great things all over the floor that kept them in the game.
Scouting The Rock
Toronto has entered the season with a roster facing injuries and changeover from their 15 win team a season ago. Not only did they fall 11-5 to Ottawa in their game last weekend, now they come into tonight’s matchup without Tom Schreiber or Latrell Harris who join the injured Brad Kri and TD Ierlan. Despite this, the Rock cannot be taken lightly with most of their core players remaining. 2024 NLL Goaltender of the Year, Nick Rose, will always give them a chance to win.
FireWolves Players To Watch
Tye Kurtz came up big when it mattered most with the game tying goal against the Rush to send the game to overtime last weekend. Kurtz can score in bunches when he has the hot hand.
Patrick Kaschalk made an impact all over the floor last game with 1 goal and 7 loose balls. The FireWolves will need more big plays in transition to beat the Rock.
Ethan Walker returns as the FireWolves’ quarterback on offense and picked up where he left off last season with 1 goal and 3 assists against the Rush.
Rock Players To Watch
Mark Matthews had 2 goals and 2 assists last season when these two teams met. The FireWolves defense will look to limit Matthews’ great passing.
Justin Martin is a speedster in transition and the FireWolves will need to get back on defense quickly to stop any breakaway opportunities.
Nick Rose is one of the best goalies in the world. The FireWolves offense will need to rely on quick ball movement and patient shooting to find the openings on Rose.
The FireWolves will return to MVP Arena for their next home game on Saturday, December 14 at 7 PM for a Happy Howlidays celebration! Fans can get 2 Tickets and 1 FireWolves Ornaments for $40.
Season tickets for the FireWolves 2024-25 season are available now! For more information regarding tickets, visit www.albanyfirewolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-675-8678.
About Albany FireWolves
The Albany FireWolves is the Capital Region’s very own Professional Box Lacrosse team, playing in the National Lacrosse League out of the MVP Arena in downtown Albany, NY. For more information, contact the Albany FireWolves Front Office at (518) 362-4900 or visit AlbanyFireWolves.com. Follow the team on Facebook at facebook.com/AlbFireWolves, Twitter @AlbFireWolves, and Instagram @AlbFireWolves.
About the National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is North America’s premier professional lacrosse league. Founded in 1986, the NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. The League is comprised of 14 franchises across the United States and Canada: Albany FireWolves, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, Las Vegas Desert Dogs, Ottawa Black Bears, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock, and Vancouver Warriors. For more information, visit NLL.com and find @NLL on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About MVP Arena
MVP Arena is a full-service entertainment and sports facility featuring a wide variety of family shows, sporting events, trade shows and concerts. Owned by Albany County and managed by ASM Global, MVP Arena opened in 1990 and is home to the Albany FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League, the Albany Empire of the AFL 1 Arena Football League and the Division I Men’s College Basketball Siena Saints. For more information, please visit https://www.mvparena.com/
